Early in LA 28’s effort to design an emblem for the 2028 Olympic Games organizing committee officials and designers were confronted with the dilemma of representing a diverse city with a single logo.
“We always set the bar high for ourselves in terms of really representing LA and we struggled for a while between this tension for traditional emblems for all the sports, which are static and LA which is a dynamic and changing city and a journey which is eight years long,” Casey Wasserman, LA 28 chairman said.
During the 18 month process, it became obvious that one traditional emblem would not be enough for what LA 28 and the International Olympic Committee have promised to be transformative Games.
LA 28 revealed on Tuesday 26 versions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games logo designed by athletes, community leaders, illustrators, and celebrities that organizers say capture the energy and spirit of a city hosting its third Olympics that is vastly different than the city that held the 1932 and 1984 Games.
“Because there’s not one way to represent LA we want to make sure right off the bat that the LA 28 emblem captures the infinite story telling possibilities through a collection of voices,” Wasserman said.
Each logo comes with an “L” above the Olympic rings or Paralympic logo. But “A” changes with each logo, revealing the personality of the designers and the communities that make up the city.
Olympic champion sprinter Allyson Felix’s “A” curves into an “AF.” World Cup hero Alex Morgan’s “A” includes a soccer pitch in the motif a vintage illustrated post card. Figure skater Adam Rippon’s emblem reflects its creator: a bold blur purple, yellow and orange that seems to send the logo racing forward.
“The LA 28 Olympic and Paralympic emblem is strong and bold and allows for endless storytelling opportunities,” Wasserman said. “It reflects a spirit of Los Angeles that is ever evolving and looking toward the future. The ‘L,’ the ‘2’ and the ‘8’ create a strong foundation and anchor to an ever changing and dynamic ‘A’ which represents in the infinite stories of Los Angeles and the Games. Animated and dynamic, the emblem is built for the digital age, thriving on broadcast, digital and social platforms.”
The concept was completed early 2020, months before the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent reaction to it and other police shootings.
“Recent events didn’t shape the approach, but we loved the opportunity to share incredible stories from the diverse nature of Los Angeles through this platform,” Wasserman said.
Wasserman wrote IOC president Thomas Bach in June and urged the IOC to make changes to Rule 50 of the Olympic Chart and allow anti-racism advocacy at the Olympic Games.
Under Rule 50 “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
“My view was pretty simple, which was I don’t believe anti-racist speech is political speech,” Wasserman said. “I believe that’s a universal standard that we all need to be operating on. And so my letter to Thomas Bach was to urge them to, while the rule probably exists for a reason, the times are different, and I think required an adjustment which allows for anti-racist speech within the Olympic platform and Paralympic platform.
“I do think that structure really needs to be governed by the athletes. The athletes who have the voices, have the perspectives and have the opportunity to really lead the conversation. And so it’s a complicated adjustment to the rule. It’s a necessary adjustment to the rule. And it should be an athlete led adjustment to the rule. Far be it for me to tell people what their structure should be for athletes to express their voices of their anti-racist beliefs … but Olympics is a unique platform and I think … really need to drive the conversation and I just urge President Bach to really be both thoughtful and aggressive moving toward that result.”
Source: Orange County Register
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